When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. In a tradition that dates back years, CW handpicks the top challengers from the construction and allied sectors that have managed to post growth despite an adverse economic and sectoral scenario.

India is the world's second-largest market for elevators and escalators, behind China, with elevator demand expected to stand at 49,000 units at the end of this year, according to Sebi Joseph, President, Otis India.

The Indian elevator market stands at around 60,000 units, with about another 3,500 units of escalators. For infrastructure projects, according to published documents of metros and airports, it should be around 6,000 elevators and escalators put together.

The numbers say it all. At present, India is among the top 10 countries in the world generating the highest amount of municipal solid waste. And the bigger challenge is that about 70-75 per cent of this waste remains untreated.

Einsite, a construction technology startup, and Schwing Stetter, the world’s premier concrete equipment company, have entered into a partnership to bring the Internet-of-Things and Machine Learning technologies to the construction industry. The goal of the partnership is to digitise construction project management and execution.

Siemens India recently inaugurated its showcase digitalised low-voltage switchgear factory at Kalwa. The globally-benchmarked factory is capable of producing more than 180 variants at the rate of one product every nine seconds.

Kirloskar Oil Engines (KOEL) has executed a definitive agreement, on June 21, 2017, to acquire 76 per cent stake in La-Gajjar Machineries (LGM) at a valuation of 7.89 times EBITDA for the year-ending March 2018. The balance holding will be acquired by KOEL over a five-year period.

The mine developer and operator (MDO) route presents a large growth opportunity for domestic engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) players with a demonstrated relevant track record, subject to attractive mine economics, according to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra).